Trail rising along former Illinois Central Railroad corridor

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — A southern Indiana county has begun work on a new recreational trail that will follow the former Illinois Central Railroad corridor.

Contractors hired by Monroe County began clearing trees last week along the planned Limestone Greenway. Construction of the 1.7-mile-long trail is expected to cost more than $950,000.

County parks and recreation director Kelli Witmer tells The Herald-Times that while the trail will be paved it will have a more rural feel than the existing B-Line Trail and it will not have lighting along its route.

Witmer says the trail's development was partially made possible by a property swap between the city of Bloomington and Monroe County.

The Indiana Rail Road Co. Inc. purchased the Illinois Central Railroad lines in 1986. Those lines were vacated a couple of years later.